Q&A for How to Improve Your Writing Skills

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How can I improve my writing style?

Grant Faulkner, MA
Professional Writer
Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Grant Faulkner, MA

Professional Writer

Expert Answer

Writing every day is one of the best ways to improve your writing. Train yourself to have a daily writing routine; journaling is an excellent daily practice. You'll learn to feel the texture of the words and find your voice. Getting better is about practicing and being curious about your writing and looking at your piece with a critical eye.

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Question

What is a good way to describe a character's appearance from their POV without being blunt?

Community Answer

Have outside characters mention something about their looks, for example: "Samantha looked up at me and smiled, 'Your eyes are such a vibrant green,' she stuttered out to me."

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Question

How can I become a good writer?

Community Answer

Readers make the best writers, so make sure you are reading every day. You might also want to check out a creative writing course at your school or local community center.

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How does comparing work help me with my writing?

Community Answer

These sorts of exercises will help you better understand the choices that other writers have made in their work. You may decide to use some techniques you observe, or to avoid them if you don't like the result. It may give you other ideas to implement in your writing as well.

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Question

Who will check my writing?

Bananagrams2006

Community Answer

Ask friends or family to check your writing. If this is not possible, go back to it the next day and re-read it. When you come back to it after a while, you are more aware of your mistakes. You can always type it up on a computer and give it a spelling and grammar check, just in case.

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Question

How should an English learner practice to improve their writing?

Nathanmorgan

Community Answer

Write stories and have friends or family read them. Ask for input from people you know who have more understanding of English. Reading can also help you. Being a better reader makes it easier to be a better writer.

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Question

What is the meaning of POV?

Community Answer

It's an abbreviation for point of view. Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told.

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Question

How do I write more descriptively and figuratively?

Community Answer

To write more descriptively, use vivid vocabulary, like strong adjectives, adverbs and verbs. For instance, instead of writing that "He replied angrily," write, "He screamed lividly". Moreover, to use figurative language in writing, become more familiar with figures of speech, like personification, exaggeration, metaphors and similes.

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Question

How can I write a topic on pet animals?

Community Answer

Research the anatomy and habits of the said animal, or if you have one of your own, watch it throughout a day. If your written work is non-fiction, spend more time on research, but if it is fiction, then spend more time on creating well-developed and believable characters that use the animal's main features and habits.

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Question

Is there any difference between sci-fi and fantasy?

Community Answer

The line between sci-fi and fantasy is very blurry. However, there are a few generalizations that can help you decide which genre something belongs in. Science fiction stories take place in our universe, and could theoretically happen with the right technological advances. Fantasy stories incorporate some level of magic, mythology, or supernatural influence.

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Question

How can I find a mentor to check my grammar and my content?

Community Answer

Ask a family member, a smart friend, or a teacher to look over your work for you. If you're an adult, you will probably have to hire a professional editor.

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Question

How can I stop translating the exact meanings of words in my mother tongue to English as I am writing them?

Community Answer

Sometimes it's just practice. English slang, or slang from any language, is typically only really gathered through experience. If you have any friends more familiar with the less-literal translations from your mother tongue to English, it never hurts to ask them for help. If not, you can try analyzing English books and learn from the sentences.

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Question

How do I improve my writing skills if I am a preteen?

PreuxFox

Top Answerer

The best way to improve any skill is always to practice. Remember that even professional writers usually don't get it 'right' in the first draft - practice revising and rewriting as well. You should also read with a critical eye; try to identify what you enjoy and don't enjoy in other people's writing.

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Question

We always hear how reading can improve writing skills, but another important question to ask would be how can writing skills improve reading?

Kewlio04

Community Answer

Writing can improve your reading several ways. One, writing gives you a greater insight into published books, because after writing, you know the difficulties, and how the writer overcame them. Another way it that you can identify mistakes they make, which can be especially helpful if you’re reading a book for a friend who wants your opinion.

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Question

Why do you need to read a book to help your writing?

Kewlio04

Community Answer

Reading can help you develop your specific style of writing, or even inspire you on what to write. From a single book, you may also learn a lot about what different books do and how they word certain things.

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Question

How do I improve my essay exams by reading?

Community Answer

Read essays on a variety of topics by different writers. After reading anything, try to rewrite it in your own words. Then compare it with the original and see if you made any mistakes. Practice often and a lot.

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Question

What is a negative sentence when it comes to writing skills? How do I convert a negative sentence to positive?

Community Answer

A negative sentence means that your sentence is saying something that is not true. Try to convert negative sentences into positive sentences by trying to find things that are true.

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